SUMNER — On Halloween eve, the Olympia Bears found themselves in a comparable position as they were back in Week 5.
Cary Nagel’s team walked into a stadium as heavy underdogs against a powerhouse 4A South Puget Sound League foe with the intent to give their northern opponent a fright whilst impressing any seeding committee members who might have been watching.
The result last time was a 37-19 loss to Graham-Kapowsin in a game that saw Olympia show tremendous fight in the second half. Against Sumner in a SPSL crossover on Friday, Oct. 30, the Bears suffered a 38-8 defeat to the reigning back-to-back 4A champion in a contest in which they made multiple substantial mistakes in critical moments.
“I thought Sumner came out and did what they needed to do to secure their position. I thought our boys played very hard,” Nagel said. “Sumner is really good, and they were very well-prepared for us.”
One of Olympia’s goals coming into the game was to play convincingly well enough to earn the right to host a Round of 32 matchup next week, regardless of a Week 9 win or loss. A victory would’ve been preferred for Nagel’s bunch, but the Spartans were motivated to avoid losing in front of their home fans again after Puyallup beat them at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium in Week 7.
During their grand entrance in a haze of purple smoke, the Sumner Spartans ran through a sign with a Batman logo that read, “It’s gonna be a dark night for the Bears.” One play from scrimmage into the game, that sign appeared to be one of things to come for Olympia.
Sumner’s Zab Zenkner took the opening end-around handoff 65 yards for a touchdown just 21 seconds into the game. While Olympia’s offense failed to pick up a first down on either of its first two possessions, the Bears defense rebounded from the disastrous opening play with a forced fumble deep in Olympia territory and a fourth-down stop of the Spartans.
“Our defense has been resilient all year. We’re kind of a bend-but-don’t-break type of defense,” Nagel said. “They battled back as best they could tonight.”
Olympia moved the chains for the first time in the final minute of the first quarter, but Ryder Smith lost a fumble with 18 seconds left. Sumner extended its lead to 14-0 with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brennan Abbott.
The Bears put together their best drive of the night, an 11-play, 80-yard series that concluded with a 1-yard rushing score by David Ukwu and an Ibrahima Diallo 2-point rush. But the one-possession margin didn’t last long, as Sumner fired off two touchdown drives in the last two minutes of the half to enter the locker room up 28-8.
Olympia’s opening drive of the second half couldn't have been more up Nagel’s alley, as the Bears took up the entire third quarter with 16 plays and still needed one more play in the fourth quarter to finish the drive. Unfortunately for the Bears, Diallo rushed for no gain on fourth-and-goal at the Sumner 5-yard line.
“That drive is the identity that I want us to have. It was really good, but we just needed to finish that at the end,” Nagel said.
Sumner put the game away with a 1-yard touchdown run by AJ Barnby midway through the fourth quarter and a 23-yard field goal. To make matters worse, Diallo hobbled off the field down by 30 points with eight seconds left.
Before his exit, Diallo finished with 123 yards on 28 carries, and he had some help from Ukwu with 54 yards and a touchdown and Noah Faalili’s 21 yards. Olympia rushed for 235 yards and allowed 290 rushing yards from Sumner.
Olympia still believes a top-16 spot in the 4A bracket and a home playoff game is possible after its second loss of the season.
“The people that were here saw how hard we played and saw the potential. We just didn’t have the ball roll our way a few times, but I think we’re one of the top 16 teams in the state,” Nagel said. “We’ve had a few guys banged up. They’ll all be back next week, so we should be firing on all cylinders.”
Olympia’s record dropped to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SPSL. The Bears will learn of their seeding on Sunday, Nov. 1.
